Motor vehicles, especially of the sport and utility class which includes pick-up trucks and recreational vehicles, often have retrofit, auxiliary steps or running boards mounted below lower portions of a vehicle body, usually referred to as rocker panels. Such steps add to the vehicle's appearance and also make it easier to enter the vehicle. They also minimize the damage caused by rocks and other road debris which are thrown up at the vehicle body from the vehicle's tires by blocking many such rocks and debris before they can hit the vehicle body.
Most, if not all, vehicles of the class are not manufactured with such auxiliary running boards. Because motor vehicles vary in both body and frame dimensions from manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model, if a vehicle owner wants to add a running board at a later date, he must find one which fits the specific model of vehicle which he owns.
Heretofore kits for retrofitting steps to sport and utility vehicles have been intended for use only on vehicles of substantially identical construction. This means auto accessory manufacturers and merchants must maintain inventories of a variety of kits each to fit only like types and brands of vehicles. This creates large inventories and corresponding capital investments in an era when the emphasis is on inventory reduction.